This is the story about Lizzie and Jake, the “Big Apple” dinosaurs. Lizzie, a bright pink Triceratops, and Jake, a purple Apatosaurus, were two dinosaur cousins living at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. They liked hanging out there since they enjoyed being close to their ancestors. They also liked being close to the theater district since both of them had been "bitten by the acting bug" and they were hopeful that they would be selected to star in one of the numerous plays on Broadway. But alas...this never materialized.
Then a few months ago Jake got wind of a potential acting opportunity. He heard that casting was just starting for the sequel to this summer's blockbuster hit, Jurassic World. He really wanted to be a part of it and he wanted Lizzie to join him as well. But he knew at their current size, neither of them would be considered for a part - they were just too small at 4 centimeters each.
So Jake had an idea - if he soaked himself continuously in water, perhaps, he would grow bigger and stronger. Lizzie didn't agree with his plan. She thought it would take more than just water to get them to grow bigger and stronger. She thought something with high fructose corn syrup might do the trick. So she decided to soak herself in some Sprite instead. They both found two separate plastic tubs in the basement of the museum. Jake found a hose and used that to fill his tub. Lizzie didn’t know how she was going to get some Sprite and started to despair. As luck would have it, that very same night a museum visitor accidentally left a party sized bottle of Sprite near the basement stairs. Each of them poured 5 cups of their respective liquids into their tubs and settled in for a long soak.
After one day, they started to feel a little funny. Jake had grown very fast – he was already double his original size at 8 cm. Lizzie had grown as well but not quite as fast - she was only 6 cm. Both of them were excited about their new growth and decided to continue to soak in their tubs. By day three, Jake was now triple his original size at 12 cm. Lizzie was still growing too, but her rate of growth continued to be slower than Jake’s – she was only 7.5 cm. They were still optimistic.
Jake had reached 12.5 cm and Lizzie had reached 8.5 cm. And then suddenly, after about five days in their respective tubs, the growth just stopped...There was no logical explanation for why this happened, but both Jake and Lizzie were terribly disappointed. They knew they were not big enough to secure a part in Jurassic World.
To make matters even worse, they were not feeling very well after soaking continuously in liquid for so long. So they decided to get out of their tubs and take some time to dry-off. After a few hours, they started feeling better, but they also felt a little funny and stiff. They both took a long nap, hoping some rest would make them feel refreshed. They wound up sleeping for 2 days straight! And then they noticed something peculiar. Both of them had started shrinking. Jake was no longer 12.5 cm– he was just 10.5 cm. And Lizzie was no longer 8.5 cm – she was just 7.5 cm. They were shrinking back to their original size. They did not expect that to happen, but after thinking about it a bit, they were happy things were returning to normal. They realized what a nice life they had together in the Museum of Natural History – they enjoyed each other’s company immensely, they could read stories about their ancestors whenever they wanted, and they could still dream about their future. Perhaps one of these days, a rich producer will decide to do a remake of the Flintstones on Broadway and then there will be an acting role awaiting each of them.
Grow Beast Mathematics Growth Conditions: Each dinosaur was placed in 5 cups of liquid in a rectangular container made of plastic. A lid was placed on each container to prevent any liquid from evaporating. The pink dinosaur (Lizzie) was placed in Sprite which was lightly chilled. The purple dinosaur (Jake) was placed in cold tap water from the sink. The containers were placed on a counter top in my kitchen for the duration of the experiment.
Measurements: The length of each grow beast was measured two to four times per day at random intervals. The length of each dinosaur was measured with a ruler from the end of its tail, to very tip of its head/face.
Results: Based on the results we previously discussed in class, I expected that Jake (the dinosaur placed in water) would grow faster than Lizzie (the dinosaur placed in Sprite). My prediction was also driven by my assumption that the high fructose corn syrup in the Sprite would impede Lizzie's absorption of water. My results matched my prediction. Jake had doubled his growth in length from 4 cm to 8 cm within approximately 24 hours; however, Lizzie only grew from 4 cm to 6 cm. By 72 hours, Jake had tripled his growth in length to 12 cm; Lizzie only grew to 7.5 cm. Initially there was rapid growth, especially for Jake, and then things started to taper off. By the 5th day, it was clear that neither dinosaur was growing any longer. On the 6th day, both dinosaurs were removed from the water. They both started shrinking back to their original size. As expected, Jake shrank faster than Lizzie - this can be seen in the graph below as the negative slope of Jake's curve is steeper than that of Lizzie's.
Extensions: Here are additional conditions to consider for future experiments:
Water vs. other brands of soda (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper) - Does different amounts of high fructose corn syrup in each brand impact the absorption rate of the liquid?
Water vs Sparkling Apple Cider
Water vs any Hot Beverage (Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate) - Does temperature impact the absorption rate of the liquid?
Water vs. Milk
Water vs. Salt Water - How does salt impact the absorption rate of the liquid?
Tables and Graphs: The data table and graph are included below. Note: on July 3 at 11:30am, the dinosaurs were removed from their liquids. You can see from the graph that growth had slowed down significantly right around 128 hours, just before the dinosaurs were removed from their liquids.
The Tale of Lizzie and Jake...
This is the story about Lizzie and Jake, the “Big Apple” dinosaurs. Lizzie, a bright pink Triceratops, and Jake, a purple Apatosaurus, were two dinosaur cousins living at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. They liked hanging out there since they enjoyed being close to their ancestors. They also liked being close to the theater district since both of them had been "bitten by the acting bug" and they were hopeful that they would be selected to star in one of the numerous plays on Broadway. But alas...this never materialized.
Then a few months ago Jake got wind of a potential acting opportunity. He heard that casting was just starting for the sequel to this summer's blockbuster hit, Jurassic World. He really wanted to be a part of it and he wanted Lizzie to join him as well. But he knew at their current size, neither of them would be considered for a part - they were just too small at 4 centimeters each.
So Jake had an idea - if he soaked himself continuously in water, perhaps, he would grow bigger and stronger. Lizzie didn't agree with his plan. She thought it would take more than just water to get them to grow bigger and stronger. She thought something with high fructose corn syrup might do the trick. So she decided to soak herself in some Sprite instead. They both found two separate plastic tubs in the basement of the museum. Jake found a hose and used that to fill his tub. Lizzie didn’t know how she was going to get some Sprite and started to despair. As luck would have it, that very same night a museum visitor accidentally left a party sized bottle of Sprite near the basement stairs. Each of them poured 5 cups of their respective liquids into their tubs and settled in for a long soak.
After one day, they started to feel a little funny. Jake had grown very fast – he was already double his original size at 8 cm. Lizzie had grown as well but not quite as fast - she was only 6 cm. Both of them were excited about their new growth and decided to continue to soak in their tubs. By day three, Jake was now triple his original size at 12 cm. Lizzie was still growing too, but her rate of growth continued to be slower than Jake’s – she was only 7.5 cm. They were still optimistic.
Jake had reached 12.5 cm and Lizzie had reached 8.5 cm. And then suddenly, after about five days in their respective tubs, the growth just stopped...There was no logical explanation for why this happened, but both Jake and Lizzie were terribly disappointed. They knew they were not big enough to secure a part in Jurassic World.
To make matters even worse, they were not feeling very well after soaking continuously in liquid for so long. So they decided to get out of their tubs and take some time to dry-off. After a few hours, they started feeling better, but they also felt a little funny and stiff. They both took a long nap, hoping some rest would make them feel refreshed. They wound up sleeping for 2 days straight! And then they noticed something peculiar. Both of them had started shrinking. Jake was no longer 12.5 cm– he was just 10.5 cm. And Lizzie was no longer 8.5 cm – she was just 7.5 cm. They were shrinking back to their original size. They did not expect that to happen, but after thinking about it a bit, they were happy things were returning to normal. They realized what a nice life they had together in the Museum of Natural History – they enjoyed each other’s company immensely, they could read stories about their ancestors whenever they wanted, and they could still dream about their future. Perhaps one of these days, a rich producer will decide to do a remake of the Flintstones on Broadway and then there will be an acting role awaiting each of them.
Grow Beast Mathematics
Growth Conditions: Each dinosaur was placed in 5 cups of liquid in a rectangular container made of plastic. A lid was placed on each container to prevent any liquid from evaporating. The pink dinosaur (Lizzie) was placed in Sprite which was lightly chilled. The purple dinosaur (Jake) was placed in cold tap water from the sink. The containers were placed on a counter top in my kitchen for the duration of the experiment.
Measurements: The length of each grow beast was measured two to four times per day at random intervals. The length of each dinosaur was measured with a ruler from the end of its tail, to very tip of its head/face.
Results: Based on the results we previously discussed in class, I expected that Jake (the dinosaur placed in water) would grow faster than Lizzie (the dinosaur placed in Sprite). My prediction was also driven by my assumption that the high fructose corn syrup in the Sprite would impede Lizzie's absorption of water. My results matched my prediction. Jake had doubled his growth in length from 4 cm to 8 cm within approximately 24 hours; however, Lizzie only grew from 4 cm to 6 cm. By 72 hours, Jake had tripled his growth in length to 12 cm; Lizzie only grew to 7.5 cm. Initially there was rapid growth, especially for Jake, and then things started to taper off. By the 5th day, it was clear that neither dinosaur was growing any longer. On the 6th day, both dinosaurs were removed from the water. They both started shrinking back to their original size. As expected, Jake shrank faster than Lizzie - this can be seen in the graph below as the negative slope of Jake's curve is steeper than that of Lizzie's.
Extensions: Here are additional conditions to consider for future experiments:
Tables and Graphs: The data table and graph are included below. Note: on July 3 at 11:30am, the dinosaurs were removed from their liquids. You can see from the graph that growth had slowed down significantly right around 128 hours, just before the dinosaurs were removed from their liquids.